Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with malignant transformation during long-term remission of ocular melanoma.

ABSTRACT

A 52-year-old woman presented with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy five years after undergoing enucleation for ocular melanoma. She was first treated by corticotherapy and azathioprine and had two successive remissions over an 18-month period. Lymph node biopsy performed when lymphadenopathy relapsed for the second time showed focal malignant transformation of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. Intensive polychemotherapy induced a complete remission. Three months after completion of chemotherapy, the patient presented with hepatic metastases from her melanoma and died shortly thereafter. This is believed to be the first documented association between angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy and melanoma. Issues regarding the relationship between angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy and nonlymphoid malignancies are raised.